Report: Charter Schools Evade Closure Laws

When an Ohio charter school consistently
fails to meet academic standards, the state automatically shuts it down.
It’s an aspect of Ohio law that’s touted as one of the toughest
standards for charter schools in the nation, but a report from Policy
Matters Ohio found some charter schools might be evading the rule
altogether.

In Cincinnati, the W.E.B. DuBois Academy
in Over-the-Rhine was put on the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE)
closure list in 2009. According to the Policy Matters report, the same
school and some of the staff remain, but under a different name:
Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center (CSR).

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Before 2009,
DuBois Academy was CSR’s sister school, but the schools essentially
merged after DuBois Academy was shut down.

The story of DuBois Academy and CSR is
apparently being replicated around the state. Six other facilities took
part in mergers or expansions and reopened under new names shortly after
state-mandated closure.

In a statement, Piet van Lier, the
report’s co-author, called the loophole a “systemic flaw” that
undermines Ohio’s education system: “Until Ohio strengthens its
charter-closure law, the state will continue to fall short of the goal
of improving public education for all Ohio’s children.”

The report suggests legislators revamp
charter school closure laws and strengthen ODE’s oversight of charter
schools. It also wants legislators to direct ODE to refuse the kind of
expansions and mergers that keep closed facilities open and hold charter
school companies more accountable.